Water Nation Nomads and The Earth
by A Creative Novice
Summary: Until his father and cousin come for a visit, Lu Ten had been having a quiet life in the Southern Water Tribe with his airbender wife and multi bender kids. Then the Avatar shows up and suddenly his kids, the Avatar, and the Chief's kids have all flown off. But at least he can finally introduce his wife reconnect with his family as Zuko pursues the Avatar across the world. T safe


It was stupid, really. The war.

Everything was out of balance, and Lu Ten feared the repercussions would soon catch up to his nation. His family, of course, refused to see anything beyond their greed; not even his father would listen to his concerns. Lu Ten knew he could not allow his father to achieve his vision of conquering Ba Sing Se; knew what he had to do to ensure that the Earth Kingdoms capital would not fall into the Fire Nations clutches. The worst part was, it would be so easy to fake his own death. His resources reported his uncle was conspiring to get his only nephew killed, he was in the front lines of a war zone, and nobody would question it if his body never turned up. It would look like the ground had swallowed him whole, along with a few of his closest friends. A couple of his allies would remain behind to report the 'tragedy' to his General father, who would, so overcome with grief at losing his only child, halt the siege on the great city. The troops would pull out and Lu Ten would disappear to the Southern Water Tribe with his beloved wife and perfect son, making pit stops along the way as his friends went their own ways.

One of them, a fellow by the name of Flyd, planned to go to Omashu and work there as a tailor. His friends used to tease Flyd about his eye for detail and impressive ability to find the right outfit for everyone. Already, he had a small store ready with his personal chambers directly above, and his earth nation girlfriend was waiting for him there. Another of his friends, Lady Faith, was planning on settling down in a monastery that specialized in perfumes. At first, it was rather baffling how a woman like her could go into something so peaceful and girly, but soon it became clear just how tired Faith was of the war, of politics, of everything pertaining to her old life. Faiths little sister, Hope, was planning to go to Kyoshi Island to become one of their warriors, fitting perfectly with her desire to be independent and strong in a world of men. Nylo was retreating to the Eastern Air Temple to work with the inventor that had taken up residency there; his brothers Lee and Li were following him with their families. Lu Ten would be sad to see them go; to keep up contact would be dangerous, but they all agreed it was for the best. If the need should arise, they could get in touch.

But what pulled at his heart the most was the loss of his own family. As dysfunctional as they were, he loved them. It pained him to leave behind his father, to condemn him to a life without his child; he would always yearn for his fathers warm embrace on cold days, always need his sage advice in times of trouble, always love him to the ends of the earth. He mourned the loss of his grandfathers warm gaze filled with a promise to protect, something the man reserved only for him, his eldest grandchild, and Iroh, his oldest and favorite son. Firelord Azulon only had had a second child incase Iroh was to die; it was no secret that Azulon did not love his second wife or his second son, Ozai. To be perfectly honest, Lu Ten did not like his uncle much either; he was the only person in the family he was not sorry to cut ties with. Ozai didn't like him either, if the order to assassinate him was anything to go by.

He would miss Aunt Ursa and her gentle disposition. How she had become a second mother to him after his own had died in childbirth. She had been there for him for as long as he could remember, but he was now willingly leaving her in the dust. At least she had Zuko and Azula. His precious baby cousins. Zuko, he knew, would be upset at his supposed death, but Azula…. he worried for her. His little blue flame would be devastated at the loss of her only confident, and he would be devastated at the loss of the young girl he considered somewhere between a daughter and a little sister. Lu Ten was reasonably sure he was the only person to ever show Azula unconditional love. Her mother, while Lu Ten loved her, could not see past the princesses outer shell of cruelty that she showed the world. But it wasn't cruelty, not really. It was just a little girl trying to keep her father's approval since her mother only ever gave her disappointment. It was a little girl showing how strong she was to the world that only ever beat her down. Her father, on the other hand, only loved Azula as much as he would love a particularly powerful and destructive weapon. Sure, he praised her firebending, and told her how much better than everyone else she was, told her he loved her, but Lu Ten knew the moment Azula faltered, that 'love' would vanish. Zuko was as terrible a big brother as she was a little sister, always putting her down, shoving Ursa's obvious preference for him in her face. Once, he had told his older cousin that ever since Azula started bending, he either wished he was an only child or that something horrible would happen to his little sister so he wouldn't have to deal with her anymore. Wouldn't have to live in her shadow, more accurately. But Lu Ten didn't blame Zuko, he could understand how he would feel that way. It just did not make it right. Meanwhile her uncle, his father, insisted on treating her like a normal prissy little girl, which she was decidedly not. Honestly, Lu Ten did not know what was going through his mind when he decided to send her and Earth Kingdom fashion doll. Thankfully, Lu Ten found out before he could send it and added his own letter detailing the battle tactics and a present of an advance earth bending scroll with the caption 'know thy enemy'. He knew she would like his gifts a whole lot more.

Maybe he could send her anonymous birthday presents or something. She had a long, hard road ahead of her, and he had no doubt his uncle Ozai would do his best to manipulate her even further. A few pick me ups here and there would not go amiss. Hopefully. Lu Ten wished he could take her with him, but it was impossible. Disappearing from the battlefield was one thing, but a heavily guarded palace? He would be found out, something the world at large could not afford. The freedom of the Earth Kingdom, and quite possibly the Water Tribes, depended on discretion. If the wrong person were to find out before the time came, if the time came, all his and the rest of his Orders carefully laid plans would fall to ruin. And yet… he could not leave her without a goodbye. with this in mind, he sat down at he desk to draft a letter.

To My Blue Flame,

Things here are going well, but I fear they will not remain that way for rvvy long. Recently, I have felt a foreboding sense hanging over me like a dark cloud. Something is about to happen; what I cannot say. But to be safe, should I perish in this endless war, you get first pick of my stuff, even before Father. In return, I ask that you follow what you feel is right and become the best fire bender that has ever lived. Remember that I love you, forever and always; I wish you had been born my sister instead of not listen to what anyone says about you being a weak girl, or a cruel monster, because you are neither. You are a strong young lady. Do what you must to protect your flame of determination and promise and faith. Fight tooth, nail, and fire for your beliefs and know that I will never truly leave you in this world. Distance may separate us for as long as we both shall live, but I will love you, no matter what. Make your own opinions, don't decide your opinion based solely on other people's, not even your fathers. Create your flames with the knowledge that fire is the element of new beginnings, not destruction. or power.

Love Your Cousin,

Crown Prince Lu Ten

It wasn't great, but it was something. In his heart, Lu Ten knew that it wouldn't really help quell Azula's grief, but maybe it would guide her as she grew older. Sighing heavily, he pushed back his chair and stood. If he wanted the letter to get to her before word of his death, he had better send it now. Wearily, he tracked down a messenger bird, tying the paper securely to its outstretched leg.

"Lu?", He heard as he sent the bird off. Turning, he saw Faith and Hope dressed in their full armor, grim expressions on their otherwise blank features. They were a picture of tauntingly dangerous beauty, the sun rising dutifully behind them, swords stopped securely to their sides and dark hair flowing alluringly in the wind. Sometimes Lu Ten wondered if the reason the sisters were such good fighters was because their opponent was so busy staring at them, they never saw their immediate demise coming until it was far too late.

"Hmm?" He was too tired to form real words.

Taking a slight breath, Hope murmured, "It's almost time, you should get ready." Lu Ten heard the double meaning as clearly as he saw the sunrise. His energy suddenly restored, he tensed. Nodding, he left their company to double check his preparations were finished before pulling his own armor on. All the while he tried to empty his mind of anything but the sounds of his mens laughter and the feeling the rising sun had on his chi. When he finally reemerged from his personal tent some hours later, he found the twelve faces that were aiding in his mission to end the war staring back at him. Six of them would not be returning to the camp. If he didn't know what was going to happen, he would say that these soldiers seemed unusually determined, not a hint of hesitance in any of their eyes. Smiling a bit, Lu Ten concluded he had chosen his friends wisely.

"Let's go." He said, walking towards the place they would meet with the rest of his regiment. They followed.

Later, after an unnecessary number of speeches, a lot of running around trying desperately to get the troops into position, and missing his breakfast, Lu Ten found himself standing outside of his father's tent. Just like Azula, it would not do to leave him without saying goodbye. Steeling himself, he knocked on the frame of the tent, hearing the unmistakable sound of his fathers voice mutter a faint ' come in'. Not a thought was spared to the lavish silk bed, or the golden knick knacks, or even the plans spread over a large table. Lu Ten only had eyes for his father. For a while, he simply stood watching him, committing his every feature to memory and bitterly wishing that it didn't have to be this way. It took his father a while to drag his mind far enough away from his battle plans to realize he had company. A jolly smile lit up the older mans face as he said, "Ah, my son! What brings you here? Is something wrong? Or did a nice young lady finally catch your eye?". Iroh winked at his son for the last sentence, who treated him to a exasperatedly fond chuckle.

"What, a son cannot spend quality time with his old man anymore? " He teased good naturedly.

Iroh's eyes narrowed at him. "He can, but that is not your true intention, is is?"

Gasping dramatically, Lu Ten declared, "Oh no! You have caught me, father. What I really wanted was your jasmine tea. I am afraid to say that these military cooks just don't understand the beauty and elegance of tea making! A truly pitiful way to live."

"Indeed." said Iroh with the all solemness of a man discussing death, "But at least we know the truth. Now come, before the sugar seeps into it too much." Smiling gratefully, Lu Ten took the porcelain cup that was offered, savoring the delicious tea. Closing his eyes, he relished the last moments with his father. "Hey Dad," he started," You know I love you, right? I think you are the best parent a kid could have." He kept his golden eyes firmly on his cup as he spoke, not used to discussing his feelings.

Setting his own cup down, Iroh asked, "What brought this on?"

"Nothing, really. It's just…..well, we are in a war zone where one of us could quite possibly die and I simply wanted you to know that I love you, and I am so proud to call you my father. To thank you for holding when I cried, for listening to my troubles even when yours were a million times bigger, for always making time for me no matter how many other, more important things you had to do. Thank you for teaching me Pai Sho, and firebending, and how to brew tea, and how to wield a sword. Thank you so much for loving me the way you do. If I could turn back time, I don't think I would, because you've alway made sure I had the best life I could, and helped me grow into a man you could be proud of. I just want to make sure, if something happens to me, that you will go on living. Mourn, cry, go home, do what you need to do, and then let me go. And take care of Zuko for me, would you? He's going to need some help along the way, I can already tell. And don't forget me, because I will never ,in a million years, forget you...Promise me."

He didn't dare look up. At least, not until he heard the crying. Then, he barely had a moments warning before his father launched himself onto him, mumbling incoherent things all the while squeezing his son to him. From what Lu Ten could make out, his father loved him, nothing was more important to him, he was the best thing that had ever happened to him, don't talk like that, he could never forget him and of course he would take care of Zuko if Lu Ten couldn't. In between there was at least half an hour of crying and then they had to spend another half hour making it look like the famed Dragon of the West had not just cried his heart out. Easier said than done, Lu Ten discovered.

And then, it was time to fight.


End file.
